Four years ago, a group of teachers at Silver Springs Elementary School noticed that over 20 languages could be spoken by the combined tongue of their students. This was the year, said principal Scott Snyder, that they decided to "celebrate the diversity of our student population." 

That is how Silver Springs' "Connecting Families, Connecting Cultures" International Festival was born.

This year's festival highlighted 19 countries represented by the school's staff, parents and students. A performance was held on stage every 15 minutes which featured dancers, musicians and martial artists.  

The walls of the hallway, multipurpose room and gymnasium were lined with presentation tables, each represented by a different country. Students were encouraged to visit the tables in order to learn about the different cultures. Each student carried around a passport book and a sheet of questions to each table, which handed passport stickers and answers to questions about their country. 

Food and games, significant to each countries heritage, were also in great supply as parents and children walked the building. 

When asked if the festival will happen again next year, principal Snyder said, "Oh yeah…It's one thing to talk about (heritage), but it's another thing to use your five senses."